Circuit-breaker for block-signal systems.



M. R. JULIAN 61 J. V. MORRIS.

CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR BLOCK SIGNAL SYSTEMS.

nrucmou mm "L22. 1915.

1,231,169. Patented June 26,1917.

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cmcun BREAKER FOR BLOCK SIGNAL SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION HLEIJ APR. 22. 19L).

1,231,169. Patented June 26,1917.

Z'SHEETS-SHEET Z- o I o J 6/ 0 -69 4 4 69 2 11a 7 2a @3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MABSENA R. JULIAN AND JOHN V. MORRIS, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, ASSIGNORS T0 JULIAN-BEGGS SIGNAL COMPANY, OF TERRE HAU'I'E, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

Application filed April 22, 1915.

To all whom it. may concern:

Be it known that we, MARSENA R. JULIAN and JOHN V. MORRIS, citizens of the United States, residing at Birmingham, in the county of J efi'erson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Imrovements in CircuitBreakers for Blockignal Systems, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to new and useful improvements in circuit controlling devices and particularly to that type of circuit closers or breakers employed in connection with block signal systems for railways, the pri' mary ob]ect of our invention being the provision of a circuit breaker or closer having a swingingly mounted trip engaging arm normally spring held in an intermediate position and movable upon engagement with a trip to either of two other positions, depending upon the direction. from which the impact is received.

A further object of our invention is to provide a circuit controlling mechanism of the above described character including one or more fixed contacts and a movable contact, the movable contact being controlled by the trip engaging arm and so arranged that, if normally in engagement with the fixed contact or contacts, it will remain in engagement with such contact or contacts upon swinging of the arm in one direction but be moved out of engagement upon swinging of the arm in the reverse direction or, if normally out of engagement with the fixed contact or contacts, it will remain out of engagement with such contact or contacts upon movement of the arm in one direction and will be brought into engagement therewith upon movement of the arm in the opposite direction.

A further object of our invention is to provide a circuit controlling device of the above described character 50 arranged that if but one fixed contact is employed, the swinging arm itself may be utilized as a portion of the controlled circuit.

With these and other objects in view, our invention will be more fully. described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and then specifically pointed out in the claims which are attached to and form a part of this application.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top ulnn view of one form Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 26, 1917.

Serial No. 23,160.

of our invention with the hinged cover removed to more clearly show certain features of construction;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the lines 2-9. of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1, illustrating a somewhat modified form of our invention;

Fig. 4c is a detail sectional'view taken on the line H of Fig. 5;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Our improved switclr'structure is preferably mounted in a housing of any suitable form, indicated as a. whole by the numeral 10 and including a base 11 and body portion 12, both preferably formed of metal. The base 11 is usuallv rectangular in shape and the body of the housing conforms in shape to the base, its front and rear ends being preferably inclined, in the manner shown in Fig. 2, in order that it may occupy as little space as possible. As also shown in Fig. 2, the end portions of the body of the housing are formed with ears 13 having bolt receiving openings in order that bolts 14: may be passed through the body of the housing and base to secure the housing, as a whole, to any suitable support. The housing includes a top wall 15 having an opening 16, the wall at one end of the opening being provided with a supporting lip 17 to seat the free edge of a cover plate 18 which is hingedly connected at its other end to the housing by a hinge pin 19.

The side walls 20 of the body portion of the housing, intermediate the length of the opening 16, are interiorly thickened as shown at 21 to form reinforced bearings for a roclfer shaft 29., one end of which extends through one wall of the housing and terminates in a trip engaging crank arm 23, the end of which is preferably rounded off as shown at 24 to lessen the impact between it and a trip. Collars 25 are mounted upon the shaft 22 adjacent each of its bearings, being secured by tapered pins 26 or other suitable fastening devices and each of these collars is provided with a radially extending ear 27. These ears both extend in the same direction and each carries a swingingly conas soon as the shaft is released, return it to normal position. The ears-27 preferably project from the shaft at right angles to the crank arm 23 and, consequently, maintain the crank arm at right angles to the base 11 of the housing.

Mounted upon the intermediate portion of the shaft 22 is a commutator ring 31 in the form of a sleeve or bushing of vulcanized rubber, fiber or other suitable insulating material, while embedded in the peripheral face of this commutator ring, is a contact plate 32 which extends over a trifle more than ninety degrees of the peripheral face of the commutator ring. This commutator ring serves to insulate this contact plate 32 from .the shaft and correlated parts of the device. A supporting bracket 33, of insulating material, is mounted within the housing at that end opposite the springs 29 and carries a pair of spring contacts 34 and 35,, the freeends of which are yieldably held in-engagement with either the contact plate 32 or the peripheral face of the commutator ring 31, depending upon the position of the shaft 22. These spring contacts are insulated from'each other and each is provided with a binding post 36 or other suitable means for connection with the line wires of a circuit.

From the foregoing description it will be clear that we have provided a circuit breaker construction in which a circuit Will normally be closed between the spring contacts 3i and by their engagement with the contact plate 32. It will further be clear that while swinging of the crank arm 2* in one direction, due to impact received from a 'trip, will serve to open this circuit, swinging of the crank arm in the opposite direction will in no way affect the circuit, the crank arm never being swung through an angle greater than ninety degrees. F urthermore, the springs 29 will, as soon as the crank arm is released, automatically return it to normal position and hold it in such position until it is again engaged by a trip.

In Figs. 3 to 5 inclusive we have illustrated a somewhat modified form of the invention, although one in which the general principles of construction and operation are substantially the same. In these figures, the housing 40 includes a base l1 and body portion 42 corresponding substantially in shape to the base and body portion of the housing, previously described. the housing, at its ends, being provided with bolt receiving openings 43. The top of the housing is provided centrally witlran opening it and the edges of the top and side Walls surrounding this opening are formed with inwardly directed lips 45 to seat a cover plate 46 in such a manner that the outer face of the plate may lie flush with the outer face of the top wall of the housing. This cover plate is entirely removable from the hous ing and is formed at intervals with bolt receiving bores 'in order that bolts 47 may be-threaded into the lips 45 to secure the cover in place. The cover about these openings is formed with sockets 4:8 to seat the heads of the bolts 47 in order that they may not project beyond the outer face of the housing as awhole.

One of the side walls of the housing is provided with an opening 49 to receive a bushing or hearing 50 of insulating material, the outer end of which lies flush with the outer face of such wall and the inner face of which is provided with a peripheral flange 51 seating against the inner face of the wall. The opposite wall of the housing is provided with a circular seat or socket to receive a corresponding bushing A shaft 54 'is journaled in the bushings or sleeves 50 and 53, a metallic sleeve 55 preferably surrounding that portion of the shaft journaled in the bushing 50. One end of the shaft is provided with an enlarged head having a crank arm extension 56 with a rounded terminal 57 corresponding to the crank arm 23 of the form of my invention first described.

A collar or gasket 58 of insulating material is interposed between the head of the shaft and the adjacent wall of the casing and the entire shaft is therefore insulated from the casing. A collar 59 is secured upon the shaft by a tapered pin 60 or other suitable fastening device engaging against one end of the bushing 51 and therefore serving to hold the shaft against longitudinal movement in its bearing. This collar is provided with diametrically extending cars 61 which project at right angles to the crank arm 56 and which carry eye fastening devices 62. Helical springs 63 are secured to these eye fastening devices at one end and at their opposite ends to hooks 64, the shanks of which are "passed through insulating bushings 65 inserted in openings formed in transverse partition walls 66 located adjacent the ends of the casing or housing. The shanks are, of course, threaded or otherwise adapted to receive securingnuts 67 by means of which the hooks are held in place. It will 'of course be clear that these springs serve to normally maintain the crank arm in the position shown in Figs. 3 and 5 of the drawings and to return the crank arm to such position if inoved'to any other position.

Mounted upon the shaft 54 between the collar 59 and bushing 53, is a commutator ring 68 of insulating material, carrying a peripheral contact plate 69 which, in this instance, is electrically connected with the shaft 54; by a pin 70. A bracket 71, of insulating material, supported within the housing, carries a spring contact member 72, the free end of which engages either the periphery of the commutator ring or the contact 69 according to the position of the shaft 54. The spring contact 72 is provided with a binding post 73 for the attachment of a current conducting wire.

The contact 69 corresponds to the contact 32 of the form of my invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but is so disposed upon the commutator ring as to normally be out of engagement with the resilient contact 72, being kept out of such engagement upon turning of the shaft in one direction, but brought into engagement with the spring contact 7 2 upon turning of the shaft in the opposite direction.

It will of course be apparent that, if a source of electrical energy, grounded upon one side, is connected by its other side to the binding. post 73, the bringing into engagement with the crank arm to swing it to close the circuit between the contacts 72 and 69, of a grounded trip member or contact shoe will cause a completion of the circuit from one ground to the other, the current passing through the contacts 72 and 69 to the shaft 5% and so to the crank arm 56 and trip.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, the operation of our improved circuit controlling de vice will be readily understood and no description, other than that previously given, is believed to be necessary.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed'as new is:

1. A circuit controlling device including a housing, a shaft journaled in the housing and pro]ecting beyond it at one end, a radially extending arm carried by such end of the shaft, a collar mounted on the shaft to turn therewith, said collar having an ear projecting at substantially right angles to the direction of the arm, a spring having one end fixed and the other attached to the ear, a commutator ring of insulating material carried by the shaft, a contact plate carried by the ring and extending substantially over one-fourth its peripheral surface, and a pair of resilient contacts engag ing either the contact plate or ring, depending upon the position of the shaft.

2. A circuit controlling device including a housing, bearings of insulating material mounted in opposed walls of the housing, a shaft j ournaled in the bearings and thereby insulated from the housing, one end of the shaft being formed with a radially extending arm exteriorly of the housing, means for normally holding the shaft in a predetermined position and for automatically re turning the shaft to such position if turned to another position, a ring of insulating material mounted upon the shaft, :1 contact plate carried by the ring and having elec* trical connection with the shaft, and a re silient contact finger normally engaging the ring but capable of engagement with the plate upon turning of the shaft in one direction.

3. A circuit controlling device including a housing, a shaft journaled in insulated. bearings in the housing and provided with a radially extending trip arm, a collar fixed to the shaft and provided with oppositely directed ears extending at substantially right angles to the trip arm, springs connected at one end to the ears and at their other ends to the housing, the connection between the springs and housing be ing insulated, a ring of insulating materi a1 'MARSENA R. JULIAN. [its] JOHN. V. MORRIS. Lnsfij lVitn esses A. HUGHES, "l. C. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

